Fighting for our families
by Alicehime-sama
Summary: The girls left without saying goodbye. Four years later, they come back with children by their side and new enemies to fight. How will the boys cope with the situation? Will they be able to help the kunoichis protect their families? SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, InoKiba, ShikaTema, and GaaraMatsu.
1. We just need to leave

Hi! This is my first story in English so I am very excited! I know there are plenty of other 'the girls leave and come back stronger, possibly with children' type of story, but I wanted to have my own version. So here it is! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and its characters.

Chapter 1: We just need to leave

Sakura scanned her room one last time, making sure she had everything she would need for the departure. 'It looks so different now' she thought. Gone were her cloths, weapons, and scrolls, all packed neatly for the trip. Most of her souvenirs and pictures would remain here, as bringing them would be more inconvenient than anything. She spotted on her desk the two pictures of Team 7. A small nostalgic smile appeared on her lips as she grabbed the two frames. The first one was the original Team 7 with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke. The second one was the new team that now included Sai. She knew she would miss them, miss Konoha, miss her home, 'Miss him,' she thought as a single tear landed on the glass. She took her pack and headed downstairs.

As she entered the living room, she recognized Ino's pack on the couch. Setting her things next to it, she went to the kitchen where she found her friend eating the pack of strawberry she had bought the day before.

- It's only 4 in the morning, eating already Ino-Pig? teased the girl.

- If I want to eat, I will eat Forehead. Doesn't matter the time of the day or the place. You will understand in a few weeks, grumbled the blond

- Moody aren't we. Well, can't say I am looking forward to that, replied the cherry blossom putting her hand over her stomach.

Ino looked at her friend sadly, knowing exactly what was going through her mind.

- It is the right decision, right? whispered the mind manipulator.

Sakura did not answer. She did not know. Were they right? Tsunade had given them her approval, and that meant that it was the right thing to do … didn't it? Her thoughts were interrupted by the bell ring of the door. Outside she could feel the chakra of Tenten, Temari, and Matsuri. Hinata said she might be a little late since she had to snick out of the Hyuuga mansion. She opened the door and let her friends in. Not a word was said. They were not needed. The girls had made their choice. There was no changing their mind now, and they knew it. They all sat in silence in the living room waiting for Hinata to arrive.

Fifteen minutes later, the heiress arrived. As she looked at her friends, she could not help but feel the feeling of pain and sadness surrounding them. Her own reason for leaving was different, although she knew there was a risk that she too… 'Don't think about it now, you will have time to worry later' she thought, 'for now there are more pressing matters.' She looked up as Sakura stood, attracting everyone's attention.

- I spoke to Tsunade-sama yesterday to finalize the details of our trip as well as …, she stopped for a moment, … as well as how to tell the boys about our departure. She has contacted a friend who lives in a village in Taki no Kuni. She will have a house prepared for us there. It will take about a month to get to the village, especially in our conditions.

The girls nodded, they had been preparing for this trip for a few weeks now and knew what to expect.

- Everything has been taken care of. All we need to do is leave, finished the cherry blossom.

Another silence filled the room. They just needed to leave. Easier said than done. As each of the girls went to grab their packs, they forced themselves to remember why they were leaving and why it was the right thing to do.

**Flash-back Ino six weeks ago:**

It had been a nice Friday evening. Ino had managed to drag her best friends to a new club, and they were having fun until the blond spotted Kiba on the dance floor. She had been in love him for months and while they had had quite a few dates, she had never really 'engaged' with him. Alcohol helping, she had ran to the dance floor and danced with him the rest of the evening. One thing leading to another, she had ended up waking up in his bed. As their relation had not changed after that night, Ino had thought it consequence less until three weeks later, Sakura announced her she was pregnant. For days, she had worried about whether to tell him, how to tell him, how he would react… But her worries had flown away as soon as she spotted him kissing another girl. He had never cared and rather than let here pride being destroyed by this player, Ino had decided to leave Konoha for a while to raise the baby herself.

**Flash-back Temari four weeks ago:**

It had begun with a simple conversation about relationships. He had said that relationships were too troublesome to which she had replied that he was too lazy with get a girlfriend anyway, which was good, she had said, because he would not know how to please her being the lazy crybaby he is. But she had forgotten a small detail: Shikamaru's pride. While saying it was troublesome, he had been determined to prove her that he could please a woman. And prove her he had, not that she minded, had she known that provocation was the best way to motivate the man, she would have done it sooner. However, she had not been expecting the present she discovered two weeks later. She had panicked, remembering him saying several times that children were troublesome, thinking about the relationship between Suna and Konoha… Worries had filled her until Matsuri found her and brought her to Ino, from which she learnt about her situation and her choice. Feeling that it was the best solution, she had decided to come with her.

**Flash-back Tenten four weeks ago:**

It should have been a simple mission: escort a merchant to a trade fair. A simple B rank mission. And it had been at first. Only a few attacks by thieves that had been easily disposed of. Until one of them used a bomb containing a strange drug that turned Neji and her into a hormonal mess, mixture of lust and thirst for dominance. While she had wished that her first time with Neji was different, she had not minded, cherishing the memories and knowing that it would most likely be the only time. It was not until two weeks later she learnt that she was pregnant. A few days later, she had gone to the Hyuuga manor. She had been pretty serein about the whole situation, knowing that Neji was a responsible man and firmly believing that they would find a solution together. But as she was on her way to Neji's living quarter, she had overheard a conversation between the prodigy and his uncle about being tricked into marriage because of a pregnancy, especially from lower citizens that did not meet the clan's expectations. Knowing exactly how the Hyuuga clan viewed her, she instantly knew that it would not end well for anyone, neither him, her, or the child. She had then decided to go with Ino and Temari.

**Flash-back Matsuri two weeks ago:**

It had been a cold night. A freezing night that Gaara and her spent in a cave to escape a sudden snow storm. She had been so cold, not yet used to anything but the burning sun of Suna, that no matter the fire or the layers of cloths she added, she was still shaking. She had been surprised when she heard him say something about body warmth and blushed profusely, but she knew that it would most likely be the only time she would be able to be close to the young Kazekage. With her face as red as his hair, she had laid with him to get as much warmth as she could from his body… The next morning, they had not exchanged a word and never mentioned it again. Matsuri had sworn not to let her feelings for him get the best of her until two weeks later she learnt that she was with child. She had hurried to the office of the Kazekage in Konoha to talk to Temari only to overhear Kankuro lecturing Gaara about finding a wife soon and Gaara replying that he already had someone in mind. Her heart had broken as she ran in Temari's arms. But as the older woman did not know about the woman Gaara was talking about, Matsuri had taken the decision to go with the three kunoichis to raise her child without jeopardizing Gaara's position.

**Flash-back Sakura two weeks ago:**

She had been pestering Sasuke for a while now as he still had not done his check up after being injured on a mission, but never had she imagined that he would knock at her door at two in the morning drunk and stubbornly insisting on doing the checkup right at the moment, going as far as to start stripping in the middle of her living room. And while she had had many dreams about her first time with Sasuke, in none of them had she woken up alone, with no trace of the ninja. However, the pain that she felt when she realized she was alone had been nothing to the pain that she experienced the two following weeks. He had been completely ignoring her. No talking, no being in the same places as her… And she knew he was doing it on purpose. She would have understood not talking about the night, but plain ignoring was just despicable. The last straw was when she discovered she was carrying his child. While she was happy to carry the child of the man she loved, she had sworn on the day he can back that she would not let him mess her up again, and she fully intended to keep both her promise and pride. She had been helping with preparing the trip of the four kunoichis since Ino made her decision and was going with them to help with childbirth, but at that moment she had decided that she would be staying with them longer than originally planned.

**Flash-back Hinata a few days ago:**

It had been another of these nights where Naruto would invite her to eat ramen. And just like any of these nights, there were fangirls at the ramen shop. Except that on this particular night, one of the fangirls had put an aphrodisiac in one of Naruto's ramen and the young heiress had been there when it finally kicked in as he was bringing her home. The next morning, she had awakened putting tomatoes to shame and left the apartment before Naruto awaken. On her way back home, she had come across the fangirls and overhead them talking about Naruto and her, saying that she was weak and that she was slowing him down, that he could do much better than a stuttering little child. She knew that she should not have care, but their words wounded her. She had known that the girls were planning on leaving and she decided to go with them, to train, get stronger until she could face these people, and also raise her child away from these people should she be blessed with caring his child.

So what did you think? It is a little different from what is usually be done, a little sadder, but I hope you liked it. Please don't hesitate to review!


	2. Home away from home

Thank you very much to Subzerodx for following my story! I hope you will enjoy the rest of it! And thank you for your advice MrGoodyTwoShoes, I did not know that using dashes was considered chat script. I also read your profile and will take your advices into consideration. If you have any other advices, please do not hesitate. I hope you will continue reading my story.

Chapter 2: Home away from home

Kakashi looked up from his book as he sensed familiar chakras approaching. Soon Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Baki, and Tsunade appeared.

"I'm guessing you are here to see them off," he said.

Tsunade did not replied, instead looked at the village gate. Her apprentice was leaving her. She knew that she needed this, all of them did. Both the young kunoichis, who will be able to find their true strengths, and the children, who will be safer away from the village for the time being. With the Akastuki and Orochimaru lurking around Konoha for new followers, keeping children with such strong heritages hidden away would prevent them from attracting unwanted attention.

"Actually no, we are here to make sure the area is safe," explained Kurenai. "As much as I would like to see them off, I think it will make only things harder for everyone. The only thing we can do is secure the way up to the city of Nagoko. And you? Are you here to see them off?"

"No. I'm just here to make sure that none of the boys finds themselves here when they leave," answered the silver haired man. "I will leave as soon as they arrive."

"I will stay with you", said Baki, "just in case Gaara-sama or Kankuro come here."

The four leaf ninjas swiftly left for the forest in search of any intruders leaving Kakashi and Baki standing by the gate.

"Do you know why they are leaving?" asked the sand ninja.

"Not sure exactly," answered the Sharingan bearer. "Sakura told me that she needed to leave, that she wanted to get stronger. But she can do that here too. I feel there is something else that she was not saying."

"It is also what both Temari and Matsuri told me. But they seemed also sad and concerned, like they had something else on their mind."

"They are leaving their homes for at least a couple of years. I would be sad too, no matter how determined."

"I know, but I can't help the feeling that they are hiding something from us."

"Whatever it is, I trust that Sakura has a good reason for not saying anything and that she will let us know when the time is right. Have faith in them, they are our students after all."

"You are right."

They stood in silence for another half an hour until they sensed the presence of the kunoichis heading for the gate and quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The girls arrived at the gate a few minutes after leaving Sakura and Ino's house. Their hearts heavy in their chests, they looked one last time at the village and sprinted to the forest in direction to their first stop, Nagoko.

Naruto knew something was wrong even before he entered the Hokage's office. Assembling the whole Konoha 12 was rather unusual and seeing that Gaara and Kankuro had also been called only reinforced his feelings. For once he entered quietly, looking around the room for clues about their presence in the office so early in the morning. He frowned as he noticed that Hinata and the girls were not here.

"Teme, you know where the girls are? It's not like them to be late to a meeting," he asked the Uchiha.

"Don't know," answered the ninja.

"I went to Tenten's house this morning, but she was not there," said Lee. "I thought our youthful flower would already be here."

"I did not see Temari or Matsuri this morning either," said Kankuro.

"Neji, did you see Hinata before you left?" asked Kiba.

"No," answered the Hyuuga.

The boys fell in silence, suddenly hoping that whatever this meeting was about, it had nothing to do with the girls and that they were simply late. As they sensed familiar chakras approaching they relaxed, thinking that the girls had finally arrived, but tensed when they recognized their senseis' presences instead of the kunoichis'.

The door opened and Tsunade entered accompanied by Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and Baki. She could feel the tension in the room, like they already knew and that they were daring her to say it to their faces. She slowly sat at her desk and took a deep breath.

"I have thought of many ways to announce it to you but I could not find any that will lessen the shock. Therefore I will be straightforward. Earlier this morning, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, Tenten Michio, Temari Subaku, and Matsuri Hansa left the village."

Shock was written over the faces of the young ninjas. A few seconds passed until shouts fused from all over the place.

"You've got to be kidding baa-chan! Why the hell would they have left?" shouted Naruto.

"I agree with Dickless, I see no reason why Ugly would leave," added Sai.

"Yeah, I saw Hinata just yesterday for training and she did not say anything about leaving!" said Kiba.

"If it is some kind of payback for last time Baki, it is not funny!" exclaimed Kankuro.

"Why would our youthful flower be gone Gai –sensei?" cried Lee.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, it has to be some kind of mistake," said Neji. "I saw Tenten yesterday afternoon and Hinata in the evening and they did not…"

"I know you are confused and shocked, but it is the truth, they have come to me and your senseis a week ago and ask to leave the village for a few years for training," cut Tsunade. "Although I can see that not all of you are surprised," she continued looking at Shikamaru, Choji, and Gaara.

The rest of the boys looked at them. Indeed Shikamaru and Gaara looked lost in thoughts while Choji had let go of his chips, a sad but not surprised expression on his face.

"Shikamaru and I had noticed that Ino was acting strange, like she was preparing something but would not tell us what. And Sakura was acting the same whenever she and Ino thought they were alone," Choji explained. "Over the past few weeks, it looked like all the kunoichis had joined them, but we did not know they were preparing to…"

"Why did not you say anything?" shouted Kiba. "We could have done something! Anything!"

"Really?" interrupted Shikamaru. "Could we really have done something? We all know that they are quite stubborn when they want to; I doubt that we could have changed their mind. Furthermore, like Choji said, we did not know they were planning on leaving; with the anniversary of the creation of the teams coming soon, we thought they were planning a surprise party or something since they had talked about it before."

"Anyway," continued Tsunade, "it is their decisions. You are not to try to find them until they come back, is that clear? You are dismissed."

The boys silently left the room and soon after their senseis followed. No doubt were they going to be assaulted by their students looking for more answers. Only Gaara remained in the office, his eyes fixed on the Hokage.

"I knew Temari and Matsuri had not been themselves for the past few weeks; they always looked concerned, sad, or lost in thoughts," said Gaara, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. "But I never thought that they would leave without saying anything. I know you know why."

"I told you; they wanted to be stronger, not just in body but also in their mind and heart."

"How long?"

"Three years, maybe more. It is up to them."

"Is there anything that we can do?"

"Have faith in them and train to get stronger. Our enemy is getting stronger, we cannot let him win. When the girls come back, they will fight by our side once again, but until this day, we must do what we can without them."

"It will be hard."

"I know. We all know. But they do not. They need time to find the strength in their body and mind. Would you tell that to the boys?"

"I will."

With that the young Kazekage left the room. Tsunade sighed; it had gone better than she thought. It would be hard for the boys, but she knew that they would respect the girls' decisions. Still she will have the senseis guard the gates for some time just to make sure none of them disobey her orders.

It had been a month since the kunoichis left the village. During the trip, they had discovered that Hinata was indeed caring Naruto's child and, with the six of them being pregnant, were extremely careful and been traveling slower. Ino was in her 10th week, Tenten and Temari, their 8th, Matsuri and Sakura, their 6th, and Hinata her 5th. Soon enough they arrived at a small village in the south of Taki no Kuni where Tsunade's friend, Tokiko, was leaving. The village was rather big, although not enough to be called a city, so finding work would not be too hard. Furthermore, the forests and mountains surrounding the village were very good training grounds, they thought as they accompanied the old woman to their new house. She had prepared a place for the soon to be twelve of them to stay a little outside of the village. The house was an old manor that had been abandoned when the family left the village to go to the city. When Tokiko had heard of the situation from her longtime friend, she had immediately agreed to help and had renovated the manor. She knew it would provide the young women with the space they will need to both raise their children and train. She had also promised herself she would be here for them if they needed. 'And why not come back to Konoha when they do,' she added to herself as she looked at the young kunoichis.

Sakura looked around approvingly. While she had not known what to expect from the village and the house at first, she was more than satisfied now. The girls looked pleased too. It was a good place. Not as good as Konoha, but then again, nothing can beat home. But for now, she felt that this place could be their home away from home.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't hesitate to review!


	3. Four Years

Hello everyone! I would like to start by thanking KawaiiKatia, BlueFiction36, Stellabella96, Nejiten3, Subzerodx, Alex, noof altalei, and Kays3r for following this fanfic and/or reviewing. I am so glad to have so many people reading it! Just so you guys know, I should be updating every other week or so. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too!

Chapter 3: Four years

Kakashi smiled as he looked at his three students sparring. The three of them were jounins now and Naruto and Sasuke had recently joined the Anbu. After recovering from the shock of the girls' departure, the remaining members of Konoha 12 as well as Gaara and Kankuro had been training with a new vigor, determined to get stronger and keep the villages safe until the kunoichis come back. 'It will soon be four years now, they are taking longer than expected,' he thought, looking sadly at the blooming Sakura trees. In a few weeks, it will be exactly four years that they left, April 19th. He knew all the boys, 'I can't really call them that anymore', he thought, 'with most of them being 22', knew it and it showed in their mood swings, like every year at the same period. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a breathless Konohamaru.

"Kakashi-sensei, you and your team are to report to the Hokage's office at this moment," said the boy between heavy breaths. "She said it was urgent."

Kakashi nodded, and signaled his team to follow him to the tower.

As they entered the tower, they met with Gai's and Kurenai's Teams who informed them that they had all been called by Tsunade and that Asuma's Team as well as Gaara and Kankuro were also on its way.

"Must be an important mission to call all fifteen of us here," said Naruto.

"Yeah, the whole of us have not been called together since…" started Kiba.

"Yeah, since that day," finished Naruto.

They entered the office with a silent sadness filling their mind after they were joined by Asuma's team and the sand ninjas. As they entered, they were greeted by Tsunade and an older woman they had never seen before. After all of them came in, Tsunade spoke:

"I will be brief; you have to leave as soon as possible. This is Tokiko, an old friend of mine who was leaving in Taki no Kuni until recently. She was on her way to Konoha with six young women and their children when they were attacked. Two of the children have been kidnapped. Tokiko escaped with the others while the women followed the attackers in order to get the children back."

"What are we to do?" asked Asuma.

"These young women are trained kunoichis, and good ones too, so normally there should not be much to worry about. However, there is a possibility that the place the children are being taken to is the attackers' headquarters, in which case they will be facing at least a hundred ninjas while protecting their children," explained Tokiko. "Backup would be much helpful."

"I take it they had been after you for a while," stated Kakashi.

"Indeed, they had been after us for a couple of years now," explained the old woman. "But, never had they managed to touch one of us, these girls made sure of that, and…"

A knock on the door interrupted her. She sighed. 'Enter, Misa-chan' she said. The door slowly opened revealing a little girl. She kept her eyes to the floor, her fingers nervously going through her short brown hair that was in a mess, like she had been running for her life. 'Which she most likely have,' thought Kurenai.

"What is it Misa-chan? Shouldn't you be with the other?" inquired Tokiko.

"Are they the ones going to help mama?" asked the child without raising her head.

"Yes, Misa-chan. They are very strong shinobis who will be going to help your mama and aunties."

"And bring Akari-chan and Keiko-chan back too?"

"Yes, they will."

"Promise it!" suddenly shouted the child, raising her head. Her teal eyes were tearful as she looked at them. "Promise that you will bring them back!"

"We promise."

Misa turned to the man who just spoke. Red hair and blue eyes, all dressed in red, leaning against the wall, from what she could see through her tears.

"Promise Promise?" she insisted looking at him.

"Of course we will bring them back!" exclaimed Naruto. "We are the strongest here, so just leave it to us! Right guys?!"

A chorus of 'of course', 'leave it to us', 'troublesome', and 'hn' answered him.

"The fifteen of you are to find both the kunoichis and the children and bring them back here at all costs," ordered the sannin. "If you can, bring these attackers alive for questioning. Asuma is in charge. Dismissed!"

The ninjas left in a cloud of smoke, getting ready for battle. Misa ran to Tokiko's arms.

"Are you sure it is wise to send them?" asked Tokiko patting the child's hair to calm her down.

"They are our best. Besides, if what you told me is true, they also are the ones with the less change to be killed on the spot," replied Tsunade. "They should recognize them."

"I am sure they will. I will go see the rest of them now, they feel very guilty."

"Guilty? They are three years old children; of course they are going to try to catch a running rabbit when they see one."

The shinobis tensed as Pakkun informed them that they were approaching the battle ground. Neji activated his Byakugan to locate the women and the two children.

"What do you see Neji?" asked his sensei.

"Many dead bodies," he replied frowning. "There seems to be about twenty people remaining in there."

"Any sight of the children?"

"No…" he started. "Wait, someone is leaving the area, east of us, caring what could be the children."

"Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba, intercept this person, should she be one of the women, escort her and the children to Konoha," instructed Asuma. "If not, capture the kidnapper, and bring them all to the village. The rest of us will be going inside."

The two groups separated. A few minutes later, Asuma's group arrived at the place. Just like Neji had said there were many dead bodies on the ground and battle sounds could be heard inside.

"Well, looks like the old woman was right, these girls sure can fight," remarked Kankuro.

"If they are this strong, they have most certainly noticed our presence. They don't know we are with them; proceed with caution," ordered Asuma. "We will be separating in two groups. Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Sai, Gaara-sama, and Neji, you enter north. The rest of us with me, we enter south."

They separated into the groups and entered the building. There were also many bodies inside. 'Definitely the work of ninjas,' thought Shikamaru. Suddenly a kunai flew in their direction and the shinobis immediately took cover. 'Identify yourself!' they heard someone shout from the other side of the corridor. Shikamaru tensed as he recognized the voice. 'That's impossible! I must be imagining it' thought the shadow manipulator. But a look at Choji and his sensei told him that they had recognized the voice too. The rest of the shinobis, sensing something was wrong, looked at Asuma for instruction, only to see him throw one of his blades in the general direction of the voice of a smile on his face. A 'thumb' told them that the blade has met the wall in front of them. A few seconds of silence ensued until Asuma broke it with a big smile:

"It's okay Ino. See, it's just us," he said.

The shinobis froze at the name. Could it really be one of their missing kunoichis? The old women had said that the women she was travelling with were trained ninjas but what were the chances that… Their thoughts were interrupted by a loud 'Long time no see Asuma-sensei' coming from a blond woman running down the hallway.

"Oi, Nara. Is that really…" started the puppet master.

"Yeah, it is," answered Choji instead of Shikamaru, who was still in shock, a thousand of thoughts running in his head.

Ino had not changed, Choji thought. Still the same long blond hair and blue eyes, still the same bright smile, still the same loud mouth. The only thing that has changed was her outfit. While it was still purple, she was now wearing a long sleeve T-shirt that showed her shoulders with a black corset and a purple knee skirt. She was hurt too, he noticed: several cuts on her legs and what seemed to be a serious cut on her arm. The blond turned to him with a grin and ran to hug him.

"Long time no see Choji! Have you been gaining weight again?" she exclaimed.

"Just a little to help with my technics," answered the shinobi.

"Well, you are gonna have to show me that later! By the way, what is Shikamaru doing?"

"I think he is lost in thoughts."

"How rude, he could at least say hi! Oi, Shikamaru, stop thinking for a minute!"

As the shinobi was not answering, the blond decided to jump on him causing the both of them to fall on the floor, effectively getting the genius away from his thoughts.

"Troublesome," he grumbled.

"I missed you too Shika-kun!"

The two ninjas got up and Ino greeted Gai-sensei, Lee, and Kankuro.

"By the way, what are you guys doing here?" asked the blond.

"We were sent by Tsunade-sama as backup," explained Asuma.

"Well, that's nice. So I take it that Tokiko and the children reached the village safely."

"Yes, they are fine."

The ninjas tensed at the mention of the children. Could it be that…

"That's good. Come on, I was supposed to meet Tenten near the…"

"OUR YOUTHFUL FLOWER IS HERE?" shouted Gai and Lee.

"Yes, she is. Right here actually," said a voice behind them.

"TENTEN!" cried the green men, rushing to embrace her.

"Long time no see Gai-sensei, Lee," said the brunette escaping their embrace in order not to aggravate her injuries. "Neji is here too?" she asked, looking nervously for her teammate.

"He is with the other group, entering north," clarified Asuma.

"They won't find anyone alive there, we already cleaned up the area," she stated while her teammates were crying in each other's arms, relieved that they had finally found their youthful flower. She still had a signature hair style but was now wearing a cream traditional Chinese dress with a black dragon design and black leggings.

Suddenly a scream of pain was heard from somewhere further inside the building, causing the shinobis to go back into battle mode.

"Sorry about that. That's probably Sakura," laughed Ino

"I guess she finally got her hand of the leader of this branch," replied Tenten. "I almost pity him."

"Really Panda-chan?" questioned the blond.

"The keyword here is almost, Blondie," retorted the weapon mistress.

"We are supposed to bring back some of them for questioning," interrupted Asuma.

"Don't worry sensei, she won't kill him. That would be waaaay too nice," smirked the mind manipulator.

"Wait, if Haruno-san is here, does it mean that Temari and Matsuri are here too," asked Kankuro.

"All of us are here; well expect Hinata that we sent to Konoha as soon as we got the children back," explained Tenten.

"Then she most likely met her old team. I sent them intercept someone leaving the area," said Asuma. "They were to bring them back to Konoha, but they might just be hugging her to death now!"

Another louder scream was heard.

"Should we stop her before she definitely breaks him?" asked Choji. "He might not be able to answer anything if that continues."

The two kunoichis sighed. While they knew he was right, they would have liked to prolong his suffering a little longer. After all, the bastard had dared touching their children. They sighed again as the pig released yet another scream.

"Yeah let's go," finally said Ino.

I hope you liked it! See you in two weeks!


	4. Long time no see!

I am very glad that so many people are following and reviewing this fanfiction! All my thanks to vash3055, randilynnbaby18, dragonsfae, Carola21, Stephehh, nejiten3, Uchiha Misaki, Hollowcapy, Azu-susi-chan, The dark side of the loonatics, xDancingWithTheWindx, rinnie21, AliceTheEvil-GoodBunny, LazyStudent, emosaku, Someone-more, Sakuraseeker2792, . .you, and noof altalei! I hope you will continue enjoying this fanfiction. And yes, I will update every two weeks or so, I am starting my senior year of college and I will have plenty of senior projects, seminars, exams, plus finding a job. I am sorry I cannot update sooner than that, but I want to try and kept the time between updates consistent and I have to take into account everything else I will have to do. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4: Long time no see!

The shinobis tensed as they heard a second scream. They had yet to encounter anyone, whoever arrived before them had cleaned the area thoughtfully, but they could still hear sounds of battle from further inside the building.

"Neji, can you locate where the screams came from?" asked Kakashi.

"I see several groups of people," replied Neji. "One east of us, five peoples that seems to be fighting, one further east, someone is running toward the group of five with three people after him or her, one just west of us, two people, it might be where the screams came from... And it looks like that Asuma-sensei found two of the women."

"I hate when the buildings are built to cut communication devices," grumble the silver hair man. "The group of two is the closest to here right? Sai, go take care of that, it should not take long. The rest of us will go see the other groups."

* * *

Sai ran through the hallways following the screams. 'One of the kunoichis must have got him good' he thought 'He might be a leader for her to be this malicious to him; I better hurry before she kills him.' As he was entering the room, he saw two kunais flying in his direction, which he swiftly deviated. However, he did not notice the third kunai entering his shoulder as his attention was focused on the woman who had thrown them. Pink hair and green eyes. Impossible.

"Ugly," he said, disbelieving his own eyes.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING UGLY!" shouted the woman, throwing a couple of kunais at him just for the hell of it.

This time he dodged them but his eyes never left her. He had been sad that she left, not as much as Naruto or even Sasuke, although he tried to hide it, but still. She had changed, he decided. Her hair was long now, as long as when she was young from what he had seen on pictures. Her outfit had changed too: a simple light pink kimono top with a green obi and green knee length pants. But her outburst told him that inside she was still the Ugly he knew.

"What are you doing here Ugly?" asked.

"What do you think? I am teaching this guy a lesson!" she exclaimed pointing at the man behind her.

He was in a bad shape, which did explain the screams they heard.

"And you?" asked the kunoichi.

"We were sent by Tsunade-sama to help rescue six kunoichis and two children who might be fighting over a hundred ninjas."

"There were hardly a hundred people here, I would say about fifty or so. We already sent Akari-chan and Keiko-chan back to Konoha with Hinata."

"We also are to bring some of the attackers back for questioning."

"Take this one; he is the leader of this branch. Who else is here?"

"We are all here."

"What do you mean 'all'?" she asked suddenly pale.

"Kurenai-sensei, Inuzuka, and Aburame left the group a little before arriving here, they must have intercepted Hinata-san. Asuma-sensei, Gai-sensei, Lee, Akimichi, Nara, and Kankuro went south; Hyuuga said that they had met two of the Kunoichis…"

"Probably Ino and Tenten."

"Then I separated from the other group to investigate on the screaming. Kakashi-sensei, Dickless, Uchiha, Hyuuga, and the Kazekage went to help in the two last groups fighting."

Sai noticed she was considerably paler now. He wondered if it had something to do with her injuries: scratches on her face and legs and a deep cut on her stomach that she seemed to have healed. But soon enough she snapped out of it, like she had remember something important. He briefly pondered if she had any connection to the children the old woman mentioned before quickly dismissing the thought. It was Ugly they were talking about. He quickly called a few of his painting to guard the man, not that he would be able to go anywhere the state he was in, and followed the ex-teammate as she rushed outside of the room.

* * *

'WHO ARE YOU CALLING UGLY?' The scream resonated all the way to Temari as she was finishing off one of the four shinobis she was fighting. She briefly wondered who was the unfortunate soul that would soon be receiving the wrath of an angry Sakura, before focusing on her opponents. It would normally not take long but she had been hurt during the battle, a kunai in her leg and several large cuts on her arms. She was preparing her next attack when she felt a familiar presence coming her way. It distracted her long enough for one of her assailants to get behind her and try to stab her. He never got to finish his move as sand suddenly surrounded him and soon crushed him to death. Temari slowly turned her head to where the sand was coming from, both happy and anxious to see the person standing in the doorway.

"Gaara," she whispered as her brother and Neji Hyuuga jumped next to her, prepared for battle.

A few minutes later, the fight was over, the three remaining enemies defeated, and silence fell on the group, each lost in their own thoughts. Gaara was staring at his sister, taking in the fact that she was indeed here. She had not changed much, her hair was still in her usual four tails, but she was now wearing a sand colored kimono instead of black with a forest green obi. She looked fine, beside the few injuries that were not life-threatening, but kept looking nervously at him. It was not like her, he frowned. Had he done something? Did it have something to do with the reason of her departure? Was it about the …. children? As much as he did not really want to think about it, it was a possibility. And Matsuri? Was she here too? He decided to let her speak first.

Temari was nervous, she wanted to say something; she was happy to see her brother but at the same time did not understand what he was doing here. And if Neji Hyuuga was here, did it mean that Shikamaru too was… She interrupted her thoughts and turned to the Kazekage.

"It has been as long time Gaara," she started. "How have you been?"

"Good," answered the sand shinobi. "And you?"

"Busy as of late, especially with these idiots attacking us more and more often. How is the village? I am surprised to see you here."

"The village is good. I split my time between Suna and Konoha to reinforce our relationship."

"That's great news," she exclaimed. "So what are you doing here exactly?"

"The Hokage sent us on a rescue mission. She said there might be more than a hundred ninjas."

"This place is apparently not their headquarters, just a branch. Nothing we could not handle, but thanks for coming."

"It's normal."

Neji looked at the siblings quietly. He wanted to ask if Tenten and Hinata were here too, but did not know how. It had been so long, they might not be traveling together anymore. Suddenly, Temari turned toward the door, her hand on her fan. She could feel Sakura coming her way but she was followed by an unfamiliar chakra.

"Do you know one of them?" Asked Neji, his Byakugan activated.

"Yes, the one running head."

"We know the one following this person. It is Sai, from Team 7."

She remembered him now. She had not met him very often, just enough to know that he was in Sakura's team and that he kept calling her … Ugly. That did exclaim the shout from earlier.

"The first one is Sakura Haruno."

Both shinobis nodded. The presence had felt familiar, but they could not be sure. The three ninjas waited for the two to join them and a few seconds later, the cherry blossom and the painter appeared in the room. Sakura let out a small smile as she recognized the two shinobis with Temari.

"It has been a long time, Neji-san, Kazekage-sama," she said bowing slightly.

Both of them returned her greetings and she asked Temari to sit down while she took care of her leg.

"So what is the situation?" asked the sand kunoichi.

"Well, from what the idiot over here told me, the group headed by Asuma found Ino and Tenten, Kurenai's team should have joined Hinata and the kids and brought them back to Konoha, and since I don't see Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke here, I'm guessing they are taking care of the ninjas Matsuri was fighting," explained the medic.

The three shinobis tensed at the mentioned of the names. They were indeed all here and apparently indeed the ones they were supposed to be rescuing. The women traveling with their children.

"That's good. What now?" continued the wind mistress.

"We meet up and head to Konoha. We have what we were looking for," answered the pink hair ninja. "Sai has sent a painting to Asuma to set the meeting place at the South entrance. We will just need to pick Matsuri up and go."

"Sounds good to me! Which direction?"

The four ninjas looked at the Hyuuga prodigy who started running down a hallway and followed him.

* * *

Matsuri was running, trying to find a bigger space where she could use her weapon to its maximum potential. She tensed as she felt three more presences catching up with her assailants. She was however surprised to hear battle sounds and screams from behind her. She turned around and cautiously went back to see what was happening. Her attackers laid defeated on the ground and three shinobis were standing in their place. They looked familiar to the young sand ninja, especially the blond one, but she could only see their back. The black hair shinobi abruptly turned and threw a kunai in her direction. She dodged it but smiled as she got a good look at their face: she indeed knew them!

"It has been too long Naruto-san, Kakashi-san, Uchiha-san," she said smiling.

The three shinobis looked at the woman who just greeted them. 'She looks familiar', thought Naruto, 'I am sure I have already meet her.' Suddenly he remembered. They had met several times and he had seen a picture of her on Gaara's desk. She looked older now with her longer brown hair and her new outfit, a light brown shirt with a red jacket, red belt and light brown pants, but it was definitely her!

"Hey! Long time no see Matsuri!' exclaimed the leaf shinobi.

The two other ninjas tensed at the name. Matsuri was one of the kunoichis that had left four years earlier! What was she doing here? And where were the others? Their thoughts were interrupted when they felt five familiar presences running in their direction, including a very very familiar one they had not felt in years.

* * *

So, what do you guys think? Let me know!


	5. Back at last

Hi! I am glad you liked last chapter! Many thanks to Kays3r, keisa102091, ScarletThePanda, Azu-susi-chan, MyGuiltyPleasure585,Uchiha Misaki, Mizuki-chan Uchiha, Rica Azmaria, sakuraseeker2792, and Animeblackberry21for following and reviewing. Here is, at last, the reunion. And Hinata, that we had not seen last chapters. There is a couple of things going on in this chapter that will be explained later, so it might not be quite what you expected, especially the SasuSaku reunion. I am… torturing them. Hope you still like it!

Chapter 5: Back at last

Sasuke was getting tenser and tenser as the presence approached, a thousand thoughts running through his head. It was her. He knew it was her. But why was she here? He stopped thinking when she finally entered his vision field, his onyx eyes observing her small frame. He hardly took notice of Naruto jumping on her and hugging her crying. He did not react when his sensei greeted her with a pat on the shoulder. He just stared at her, taking her presence in, coming back to his sense only when she was right in front of him, her emerald eyes shining as she smiled fondly. 'Long time no see, Sasuke-kun' he heard her said. He wanted to hug her, to tell her never to leave again, to… but he could not. He did not have the right to, not after what he had done. So, he settled for his usual 'hn'. He saw her bright smile turn into melancholy before she got back to the group to try to get Naruto to stop crying. He noted that Hyuuga was tensed and discreetly looking around, like he was expecting something. 'Or someone' he thought knowingly. He also briefly took notice of the woman they had just helped and the Kazekage talking a little further down the hallway before focusing back on his cherry blossom.

Gaara could feel her from the other side of the hallway as they ran toward the other group. The kunoichis had said that she was here, but to actually feel her presence strangely made it easier for him to breath. As they approached the group, he spotted her speaking to Naruto until she saw him, her face breaking into a huge smile. At least she seemed happy to see him. She quickly left Naruto, who had already jumped on the medic ninja, and ran to him. Just having her by his side again relaxed him more than he had been in the last four years. 'This is how it should be' thought the sand shinobi as she reached him. She looked like she was going to say something but unexpectedly stopped, like she just remembered something, before losing her smile. Gaara frowned, why had she stopped smiling? He noticed her looking at his left hand sadly before having a surprised look on her face that then turned to confused, happy, before turning back to a small, sad, smile. 'It is still so easy to read her' he thought. This time he decided to speak first.

"How are you?" he asked, gesturing for the long cut on her shoulder.

"I am fine, thank you Gaara-sama. I will just ask Sakura to take look at it before we leave. What are you doing here Gaara-sama?"

"Rescuing you and the other kunoichis."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for your hard work."

"Not really, you have done most of the work."

'It did not sound natural', he thought, 'just like her smile.' He was going to ask what was wrong when he was interrupted by Sakura who demanded to see Matsuri about her injuries. As soon as she was done, Kakashi leaded the group to the south exit to meet with the other ninjas, preventing him for questioning her.

* * *

As they arrived at the south gate, Neji immediately looked for the lost kunoichi of his team. Unsurprisingly, he spotted his green teammates first. He briefly took notice of Kankuro rushing to his sister and villagemate and Sakura greeting Asuma-sensei before heading to his team. They were talking animatedly to her and she was laughing at whatever they were saying. He frowned when he sensed her tense as he approached before she relaxed and turned to him with a smile.

"Hey!" greeted the weapon mistress.

"Hi," he replied.

"So, I heard you got in Anbu! Congrats!"

"Thank you."

A silence fell on the two.

"How have you been?" asked the Hyuuga prodigy. He was surprised to hear her laugh.

"I'm sorry, but that has to be the first I hear you say that to anyone," she explained.

"You have disappeared for four years, Tenten. I… We were worried," he snapped.

Her laugh abruptly stopped, replaced by a sad smile.

"I know. Sorry about that. But we really needed it. We are fine though. And we are back to stay!"

'I will see to that' thought the young shinobi. He was going to start his questioning when he noticed she was looking at Temari and Shikamaru with a small knowing smile and wait until he finally got her home.

Shikamaru was lying on the grass near the south exit trying to focus on the clouds and ignore the loud chatting behind him. After receiving the message from Sai, they had gone to the room, retrieved the unconscious man, and headed to the meeting place. They had been waiting for the other team for fifteen minutes now and the rest of them had decided to catch up. To be exact, the shinobis were telling stories while the kunoichis listened and commented; he had noticed that the girls had yet to say anything about their four years away. After a few more minutes, he could feel Kakashi's team approaching. 'Including Temari' he thought tensing. He did not know what to do; things had been a little bit awkward after that night, they had not really talked about it and he highly doubted she would want to talk to him ever again. It was his fault after all. Still, no one could really blame him for losing control after hearing from the girl he loved that he was too lazy to please a woman... right? The genius decided to pretend to sleep and let her act first. If she woke him up and talk to him, that meant he could talk to her… Emphasize on talk … Unless she initiated anything else ... If not, it meant she did not what to have anything to do with him and he would leave her alone… as much as he was able to. He tensed further as he felt her approach, but soon relaxed as he heard her call for him: 'Wake up, lazy bum!' He lazily opened his eyes to find her looking down at him with a smirk, unknowingly giving him a nice view of her cleavage as her kimono had gotten lose during the battle. That damn woman was not making it easy for him.

"Troublesome," he replied turning his back to her to hide his smile.

"Come on, we are heading back to Konoha!"

* * *

Kiba was sitting in front of the one of the hospital's room waiting for Tsunade-sama to finish examining the children. To say that they had been surprised to see Hinata in the forest was an understatement but at the time they had been busy with escorting her and the children to the village as fast as possible. Now that they were being taken of, he took some time to examine his teammate. Physically she had not changed much. She now had her long hair in a large braid and was wearing a light purple tunic with a short navy blue jacket and navy blue knee length pants. But what surprised him was her change in behavior. In the forest, after recovering from the surprise, she insisted on immediately going back to Konoha, hardly greeting them. She had also been very tense during the trip, not letting them help her with carrying the children that she had kept hidden from them, draping them in two large blankets. Kiba let go of his thoughts as he sensed her sitting next to him.

"I apologize for the way I acted in the forest," she started. "I was very afraid that they had done something to them and I really wanted to get to Tsunade-sama as fast as possible. I am sorry I was so mean to everyone."

'That explains her behavior back then' thought the shinobi, happy that his old teammate was back.

"No problem! We were just a little surprised to see you there! How about we start again?"

"Alright, then. It has been a long time Kiba. How have you been?"

"I was thinking more something along the line of a hug, but that's how I know you are back!"

Hinata laughed and Kiba let out a smirk before turning serious.

"Hinata, were the other girls with you in there?"

"Yes, all six of us."

"Ino too?"

"Yes, she was supposed to come with me, but we had much more assailants following us than we thought, so she stayed behind."

"Will she be okay? I mean she is strong and everything, but Tsunade-sama said that there could be hundreds of ninjas in there," panicked the shinobi.

"There were not a hundred people in that building, and yes, I am positive Ino will be alright."

"Ok, if you say so."

Hinata smiled at him as he asked specifically about Ino, not Sakura or Tenten. Ino may have a chance after all. She turned to the door and rushed to Tsunade as she was exiting the examination room.

"Both of them are fine. The sleeping drugs they gave them will keep them out until tomorrow, but there will be no aftereffect."

Hinata sighed, relaxing.

"The whole of us will be heading to my office while we wait for the others to arrive," continued Tsunade. "I have asked Shizune to prepare one of the suites for you guys until we find you a place to stay. The other kids are already there and I will ask Tokiko to bring these two."

The sannin could tell that Hinata was not happy about leaving the children, but they both knew it was for the best. There were many things to take care of, including telling their teams about the little ones and it was better to do it as soon as possible.

* * *

The trip back to Konoha had been quiet. The girls were in hurry, the shinobis had noticed. A few hours after leaving the base, they arrived at the gate. The tension relaxed a little as smiles appeared on the kunoichis' faces but quickly came back as they approached the Hokage tower. Arriving in front of the office door, Sakura stopped for a few second before taking a deep breath, knocking on the door, and entering. As everyone entered the office, the tension got worst as the kunoichis waited for the sannin to tell them how the children were. Tsunade looked at the five of them sternly, inwardly happy to see them all safe again, until she released a smile and nodded at Sakura. Instantly, the tension disappeared and the kunoichis could breathe again. Smiles appeared on their faces as they could finally greet everyone without fearing the worst.

Naruto took advantage of the much more joyful atmosphere to examine Hinata. She was even more beautiful than before she left, he thought. He wondered if she still blushed easily. He loved the way she would blush all the time, it was so cute! 'Only one way to know,' he thought with an evil smirk. He silently approached her from behind and suddenly hugged her with a loud 'Hinata-chan!' She let out a small squeal before realizing it was him and turning deep red. 'Yup, that's my Hinata-chan alright' he thought as he buried his face in her neck.

"Naruto-kun… Could you let go?" asked Hinata.

"Nope," replied the shinobi grinning.

"No? Why?"

"Because I missed you! And because if I let you go, you are gonna disappear again!"

Hinata let out of small laugh. As embarrassed as she was right now, she could not help to be happy.

"Don't worry Naruto, none of us is disappearing anymore."

"Promise it?" asked Naruto, suddenly turning serious.

"What?"

"Promise me you are not going anywhere," he demanded, holding her closer to him.

"I promise Naruto," answered the blue hair kunoichi with a small smile.

On the other side of the room, Kiba too had been staring at a girl. Ino. She was currently talking with his sensei, probably about her relationship with Asuma-sensei if her sly smile was anything to go by. The dog master smiled. She had not changed. Well, she physically had, it was getting harder not to stare at her delicious-looking body, but her behavior had not. She was still the same girl he fell in love with. 'The same girl who will not talk to me' he reminded himself, 'and I still don't know why.' He knew she knew he was looking at her, and yet would not acknowledge him. 'I need to talk to her,' he thought, 'it cannot continue like this anymore.'

After letting ninjas to themselves for a few minutes, Tsunade cleared her throat, attracting everyone's attention.

"I know that you have a lot to say to each other, but let's start with the most important. Welcome home girls," said fondly Tsunade.

"We are back!" replied joyfully Sakura, the other kunoichis smiling behind her.

So, what did you think? I know I am very mean to Sasuke, but all will be explained later… See you next chapter!


	6. Familly discussion

Hello everyone! First I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed after reading the last chapter: Guest, TwoWorldsOneD, kelpiejh, nejiten3, Uchiha Misaki, KHautumn21597, Guest, Faith Hathaway, forty-5, EmberChance, Aranel frost, sakuraseeker2792, EmberLee31, and kyucloud1995. I was worried that you guys might be disappointed about the reunion and what I am doing to SasuSaku. So I am very glad that people still liked. Well, enough chatting, and please enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 6: Family discussion

"_I know that you have a lot to say to each other, but let's start with the most important. Welcome home girls," said fondly Tsunade._

"_We are back!" replied joyfully Sakura, the other kunoichis smiling behind her._

Silence fell once again the room. Now that the boys had finally reunited with their kunoichis and made sure they were not disappearing anywhere anytime soon, the next question was: 'what was it we heard about children?' Everyone in the room was trying to think of a way to bring the topic without being awkward. It is in this thoughts-full silence that Tokiko entered the office, attracting everyone's attention.

"Am I disturbing something?" asked the old woman.

"Not at all," answered Tsunade, suddenly finding a decent way to introduce the delicate topic. "How are they?"

"Quite well considering the day they had. I just put them to sleep."

"That easily?" interjected Ino. "Usually they at least insist that we come to say good night, especially after an attack."

"They understood that the situation was complicated and that you would not be able to see them right at the moment."

"Still, that is unlike them," frowned Tenten. "Were they not worried at all? Last time…"

"I know, but last time was different," interrupted Tokiko. "They have been very worried and feeling very guilty, but they calmed down after Hinata-chan brought Akari-chan and Keiko-chan back. And Misa-chan has been of a great help to ease the rest of their worries."

"Misa? How so?" inquired Matsuri.

"Wait, isn't Misa-chan the one we saw before we left?" said Naruto. "She came here and made us promise that we would bring her 'mama and aunties' back."

"Indeed," continued Tokiko. "She was positive that 'mister red ninja' would bring everybody back. She was so confident that it calmed the rest of them and they agree to let it go, 'only this time' they did say."

"Really? I can hardly believe it," said Masturi.

"What? That we would promise her or that we would keep our words," interjected Gaara, slightly disappointed by her lack of faith in them.

Matsuri looked at him for a few seconds and let out of small laugh.

"None of that, Gaara-sama. I actually think it is very much like you to make such promises, and I know for a fact that you always keep your words. What surprises me is that Misa came here. I would have expected that from Takeshi-kun, but Misa is quite shy and if she has the choice between talking and leaving to talking to someone else, she will stay quiet. Especially with people she doesn't know."

"You seem to know her quite well," remarked Kurenai.

"I would," answered the sand ninja. "She is my daughter after all."

Silence filled the room once more. Kankuro glanced discreetly at his brother to see how he was taking the news. To anyone else, he would have seemed unaffected but Kankuro knew better. He was confused and sad. 'I would be to. But we don't know anything about the father yet. Maybe he still has a chance.' he thought as he gently patted his brother's back in a gesture of comfort.

"So when Tokiko-san said she was traveling with six kunoichis and their children," started Kakashi.

"She meant the six of us here and our six children," finished Sakura.

Yet another silence fell as the boys wrapped their mind around the idea that their teammates, their almost sisters, and for some the women they loved, had children.

"Okay, I know I am going to sound stupid but… how did that happen?" cut Kiba staring at Ino, confusion and hurt written all over his face.

"The same way it has happened for ages and the same way it will continue to happen for ages," snapped Ino, talking to him for the first time. "However, if you are talking about the situation that led us to have these children, we would rather not talk about it, and yes, that includes the fathers."

"Why? Did they hurt you?" demanded Naruto, his face turning from plain shock to burning anger as he looked at Hinata and Sakura.

"What? Heavens, no!" exclaimed Sakura. "You should know that we are more than capable of protecting ourselves Naruto."

Sasuke frown at the comment. If it was true, then why did she... He stopped his thoughts as he felt the guilt assaulting his mind and focused on the fact that SHE had a CHILD. Not that he never imagined her with a child, he actually did it more than he should as his guilt-full mind often reminded him, but it was HIS child then, not some stranger's. His brooding was interrupted when Sai stepped on his foot in an attempt to bring him back in the discussion. As he was regaining his mind, he glanced at Neji. The two of them had gotten quite close over the years, often training and doing Anbu missions together. He knew how he felt for the weapon mistress and a short scan confirmed that the Hyuuga was taking the news as badly as he was. He also briefly noticed Choji trying to discreetly hide ghost-pale Shikamaru before reporting his attention back to the kunoichis, who seemed completely oblivious to the whole ordeal.

"Can we at least know why you don't want to talk about them?" asked Asuma.

The girls exchanged looks for a few seconds before Sakura spoke:

"For our protection and that of our children, that's all we will say."

"Is that why you have been attacked?" stated Kakashi. "Who are we fighting against?"

"To be more precise, we believe that Hinata's daughter is the main target. But all of them could be targeted too."

"Why Hinata's?" inquired Neji.

"Because of the Byakugan," quickly answered the kunoichi.

"I see," said Tsunade. "Let the village take care of that. You will be safe here. Also Ino and Hinata, you will have to tell your parents about them, especially you Hinata. I have already sent Shizune get them."

"Shishou, I don't think that's a good idea," hastily said Sakura as Hinata froze behind her. "You know that…"

"I know," interrupted Tsunade. "But by law, he has the right to know and to visit, especially since he would be more capable of providing for the child."

"With all due respect Tsunade-sama," cut Tenten, "We are all more than able to care take of them, financially included."

"I know that's why…" began the sannin, before being interrupted by a knock on the door. "Enter!"

The door opened letting Shizune, Inoichi and Suzuki Yamanaka, and Hiashi Hyuuga inside. Inoichi and Suzuki rushed to their daughter's side and hugged her, happy that she was finally back.

"So did I hear correctly when I heard about a grandchild?" asked Suzuki.

"Yes, Kaa-chan, you did," answered Ino. "But no questions about the father please, it is complicated."

Inoichi sighed.

"What's going on Tou-chan? Are you not happy to have a grandchild?" asked the young kunoichi nervously.

"I'm glad that you are back, Ino," Inoichi answered. "And the fact that you have a child is happy news too. However, I was looking forward to perpetuate the ancestral tradition that says that a dad is to beat the hell out of the father of his daughter's child, but it seems that I won't be able to. By the way, is it a boy or a girl?"

"You will be pleased to know, my dear Otou-san, that you are not the only male in the family anymore," smiled slyly the young woman.

Inoichi let out a small cry of joy.

Suddenly everyone's attention was attracted to the other side of the room, where Hinata and her father were arguing.

"Don't be ridiculous Hinata. You could not possibly…"

"She is what is most precious to me," shouted the young kunoichi angrily, "and I will protect her with everything I have. Especially against you and even if that means losing my name! I will not let you put her through what I have been through!"

'Strong of body and mind,' thought Hiashi, letting out a small smile. "It looks like you were right Tsunade-sama. As for you Hinata, you should have let the Hokage finish before jumping into conclusion."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I was going to say, continued Tsunade, "the law does give him rights but due to the circumstances and your … family history, you will be setting the conditions and the limits. I will personally back them up. Breaking them will mean breaking the law."

"You mean that…"

"It is just like I said Hinata. You decide."

Hinata stood silent for a few seconds before looking back at the Hokage.

"She is not going anywhere near that mansion," she stated.

"Agreed."

"I set when, where, and who she will be meeting. And she will always be with either me or someone I trust."

"Granted."

"And if I hear any of the crap Neji and I were being fed with when we were kids, it's over," she said turning to face her father. "You will never see her again."

"Is that understood Hiashi?" asked the Hokage.

"Yes," he answered

"Anything else Hinata?"

"No."

"Good, it is decided then," concluded the sannin.

Silence ensued for a few seconds as the boys registered that Hinata had been actually yelling, at her father and without stuttering, before Naruto broke it loudly.

"We should have a party!" the blond shouted.

"What for?" asked Sakura.

"A welcome home party for you guys of course!" he exclaimed. "Well, maybe it is not home for Temari and Matsuri, but it can be a welcome back party. We could invite everybody! Oh we could introduce ourselves to your kids! And actually meet them too, because we have only met Misa-chan!"

"That's a good idea," said the cherry blossom. "But you know, they already know who you guys are."

"Really?"

"Of course! Did you really think we would not talk to them about you guys!? They are very young so they might not remember exactly, but they know you," interrupted Ino.

"How old are they?" asked Kurenai.

"Three years old," answered Hinata. "A little young to remember so many names correctly."

"That sounds good," said the sannin. "How about we do this in two days? It will give the girls time to settle down and give us time to prepare. Should we do a lunch or a diner?"

"How about a picnic?" suggested Tokiko. "Back in Taki, we used to picnic at least once a week for lunch near a waterfall not far from the village."

"We don't have waterfalls here, but maybe we could do it near the river?" proposed Kakashi.

"But that will be at least forty people," said Matsuri. "Will that really be okay?"

"No problem," answered Suzuki. "You girls relax and let us take care of it."

"Suzuki is right," continued Tsunade. "You girls can go and rest; it has been a long day. Don't hesitate if you need help with anything. All of you are dismissed."

They soon all disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Tsunade sighed. It had gone quite well. She knew the boys wanted to know more about the kids and had seen how bad some had been hurt by the news, but understood why the girls kept the whole father-thing secret. 'They have time' she smiled 'Still, I can't wait for the party and see how the meeting goes!'

So? What do you think? Next chapter, I will finally introduce all the children. Some clues have been given in previous chapters, but the next chapter will be focusing on getting to know the little ones better. See you in two weeks!


	7. Little ones

Hi, everyone! I am super excited to present you the children all last! And give you the thoughts of the girls too! But first, thank you to NARUHINASASUSAKULOVERS11, Allytsuki, Aliasin, weirdfool501, Mei fa-chan, GillyMoose, MistaBiggle, and nejiten3 for reviewing and following this story. Now, without any more delay… the children!

Chapter 7: Little ones

A small shadow ran silently through the corridor, her long black hair in pigtails floating behind her, until she reached a door. The small figure narrowed her eyes, trying to sense who was inside the room without opening it, like she had seen her mother do it several times. It felt familiar, she decided, but not who she was looking for. She continued to the next doors until a large smile broke on her face.

"Found you Kaa-chan!" she shouted as she rushed inside the room and jumped on the bed her mother was laying on.

Hinata opened a tired eye as the little girl continued to jump around her before siting up and smile at her daughter's antics.

"Good morning Keiko." she greeted.

"Good morning Kaa-chan." answered the girl "Nee, Kaa-chan, where are we? Tokiko-baachan says we are in Konoha, but I don't remember seeing the gate you told us about! Is it really Konoha?"

"Yes, Sweetheart. We arrived last night, but you were sleeping."

"But I wanted to see the big gate!"

"We can go see it later, if you want."

"Really! Thank you Kaa-chan!" exclaimed Keiko.

Hinata smiled as she got up. Keiko reminded her so much of Naruto, a bundle of energy that made everyone smile, although she did make sure to teach her good manners. Her small pearl eyes shined as she told her mother how she found her, and her hair… Hinata suddenly rushed to her daughter's side, her hands roaming through the young one's hair. The kunoichi paled. Her hair had grown and blond could be seen from under the black coloring.

"Keiko, will you get Tokiko-san please? We need to color your hair." asked Hinato.

"Again? Why can I let my hair blond like before? I liked it better." pouted the child.

"We have already talked about it. While we are here, you need to have your hair black. Don't you want to have black hair like Kaa-san?"

"I do!" exclaimed Keiko before running out of the room to get her 'grand-mother.'

Hinata sighed. She felt bad for doing it too. She loved her daughter's blond hair, but if anyone here saw it, it would not take long to figure out who her father is, or at least raise suspicion, and that was not something she could afford, for her sake, that of her daughter, and the other kunoichis'… Seeing everyone again had felt both weird and great. She had been thrilled to hear that Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei had a second child. Seeing her team had been great too. And seeing him… A heavy blush found its way to her face as she remembered how Naruto had held her and made her promise not to leave again. The young woman sighed again; even after four years of not seeing him, she had not lost her feelings for her blond ninja. She put back her smile as Keiko and Tokiko entered.

* * *

Matsuri entered the kitchen of their suite carrying a sleepy Misa. The child had crawled in her bed after she came back, muttering something about a 'mister red ninja', and stayed with her for the night. She spotted Temari preparing tea and her son already eating breakfast. Temari smile as she greeted them.

"Good morning you two. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning Temari. It was the most confortable night I had in a while." answered the younger woman. "Good morning Daichi-kun."

The young boy raised his head from his breakfast, his long dark blond hair falling on his shoulders and his forest green eyes looking at them in an indifferent expression.

"Good morning" he answered quickly before going back to eating his breakfast.

Matsuri let out a small laugh as Temari rolled her eyes. The brown haired kunoichi sat her daughter on a chair before preparing her breakfast.

"Where is everybody else?" she asked.

"Hinata and Tokiko are coloring Keiko's hair, Ino, Takeshi, and Shinji are still sleeping, Tenten is designing a new weapon, Akari is in the living-room reading, and Sakura left earlier to start looking for a house."

"A house already?"

"Her old house has been destroyed during an attack a couple of years ago apparently. And she is looking for a house for can fit all twelve of us until … we make our decision."

Matsuri let out a small sigh. Temari and she will have to decide quickly. Suna or Konoha? Before leaving Taki, she had set her mind. She loved Konoha and the kunoichis but Suna was home. It had always been where she wanted to raise Misa. But seeing Gaara again made her doubt it was the right thing to do. What if someone noticed the resemblance between the two? Teal eyes were not exactly common. And everyone knew of her feelings for him, feelings that were still here, even after all this time. She had been confused, and very glad, not to see a wedding band on his finger. What if coming back affected Gaara? And what if that affected Misa too? If she was discovered, she might be taken away and put in the hands of those stupid elders! Maybe it was better for the both of them if she stayed here, but could she bare it? Could she really bare separate from her home, and him, again? She looked up to Temari who was now sitting near her son, a cup of tea set in front of her, playing with her son's hair. She felt bad for the older woman; the decision she had to make was much more difficult.

Temari smiled at the annoyed expression of her son as he pull his hair up in a high ponytail before she reached for the hair band and let the hair fall on his shoulder again.

"Kaa-san, why can't I let my hair up? It never bothered you before." asked the young boy.

"I like it down." she simply answered.

That was not a lie, she had always liked when Shikamaru let his hair down, which unfortunately did not happen very often. But that was not why she did not let her son put his hair up. She was very lucky that he got his most noticeable physical appearance from her. And while his lazy behavior could betray her, it was not as bad as her crybaby's, so she could somewhat 'explain' it. But the resemblance with his father was just too much when he put his hair up. She knew it was partially her fault since she had been the one to fix his hair like that to begin with, but now it was too dangerous... The older woman took her son and sat him on her laps, hugging him. She needed to decide whether to stay in Konoha or to leave… She knew that leaving was the best solution, it would reduce greatly the chances of being discovered, the relationship between Suna and Konoha would not be altered, it would protect Daichi and Shikamaru, Misa would not be lonely, since she was pretty sure that Matsuri would go back, and it would be strange for her to insist on staying without a good reason, one she would not be able to give. But she could not bring herself to leave. She loved Suna, but she loved Konoha. She loved Gaara and Kankuro, but she loved Shikamaru. And she hated the thought of lying to everyone… She sighed, she would have to make a decision soon.

Daichi looked at his mother, she was often lost in thought recently, losing her confident personality, and he did not like that. He knew that something was going on and that made his mother sad. And these people that tried to take them away… 'Troublesome' he thought 'I will have to talk to the others about it.'

* * *

Shinji looked around the unfamiliar room. He could feel his mother's presence in the next room and decided to join her. He quickly dressed up, putting his long brown hair in a low ponytail before reaching for his contact lenses with a small sigh. His mother had insisted on making him wear brown-colored contacts while in Konoha, saying that it was for his protection, just like his cousin Keiko had to color her hair. He put one contact on and looked in the mirror. A pearl and brown eyed boy faced him. He liked the pearl better and so did his mother as she had told him many times before. So why the sudden change? Was it because they were in Konoha? Shinji had noticed that his mother and aunts had changed since they started talking about 'coming back.' They were worried and concerned. He did not like it. At all. Whatever was bothering his mother had to go away. He decided to talk to Akari and Daichi about it later.

Tenten had felt her son awaken and waited for him to find her. While all of the children were bright and strong for their age, Shinji, Daichi, and Akari were the brightest of them. She knew that it would not take them long to figure out why she made Shinji wear colored contacts. Unlike Keiko whose hair color could be 'explained', Shinji's Hyuuga eyes were a lot harder to cover up. If anyone ever saw his eyes, they would immediately link him to the Hyuuga family. The weapon mistress sighed. She had condemned her son to hide forever… But she knew she would not have the same protection from the Hokage as Hinata and feared what would happen to her son if he was discovered. And to Neji... It had felt great seeing him again. She was tense but so glad at the same time. She had been surprised at first by his tone when he talked about her disappearance. She had forgotten how over-protective and possessive he could be. That was something Shinji inherited along with the Byakugan. She heard the door open and her son's footsteps on the tatami.

"Good morning, Okaa-san" greeted the young boy, a small fond smile on his face.

"Good morning, Shinji" answered the young woman. "Did you already have breakfast?"

"Not yet."

"Just give me a minute and I will go with you." she said as she felt Shinji coming closer to look at what she was working on.

"What is it Okaa-san?"

"A training weapon for you. You will soon be old enough to start training, so I am making you a weapon. What do you think?"

"It looks great Okaa-san."

With all the Hyuuga traits that her son had, Tenten was very proud that he took interest in weapons. She knew he would be a great ninja one day. 'They will all be' she thought as she drew some more details on the blue print.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast." exclaimed the kunoichi.

* * *

"I found it Kaa-chan!" exclaimed a voice from the bathroom.

Ino turned her head and smiled brightly as she saw her son proudly holding a silver necklace.

"Thank you Takeshi, you are a life-saver." she said kissing the short brown hair of her grinning child.

"You left it on the washstand." explained the boy, his bright blue eyes following his mother she put the necklace on.

Ino felt better as soon as she touched the amethyst pendant. She cared a lot for it and usually never took it off, yesterday being an exception as she as to clean it after the battle. She let out a small smile feeling the familiar weight again. It had been the first present of Kiba and the only one she took with her when she left. Seeing him again had hurt, even after all this time. And it hurt even more since she knew she still loved him. She had thought about letting him know about Takeshi at some point. Unlike the other girls, she did not have to worry about relationships between villages, strict family clans, and other expectations. She also felt bad that Takeshi had to grow up without a father. But if she decided to do it, it would also impact the other kunoichis and their children. She let out a small laugh as she looked at her son who was hesitating between a dark blue and a light brown shirts. He definitely got that from her. But she could also see Kiba in him: strong-minded and caring.

"Kaa-chan, are we going to live here now?" asked the young boy.

"Yes, this is our home village."

"Can we go visit!?"

"Not yet. In a couple of days, there will be a party for us and you will be able to meet everyone. And then, you can go visit."

"Why can't we go now?" pouted Takeshi.

Ino turned to her son and kneeled beside him, her hands on his shoulders.

"Takeshi, it is very important that none of you get out of this house until we tell you it is okay, do you understand?" she asked, serious. "Also do you remember the rule?"

"Never talk about Keiko-chan's hair and Shinji's eyes."

"That's right, it is very important to keep everyone safe, ok? Can I count on you?"

"Yes, Kaa-chan."

"Alright then!" exclaimed the kunoichi, her bright smile returning. "Let's get Akari-chan and go eat breakfast. Knowing her, she probably forgot all about it!"

Ino and Takeshi exited their room and walked down the corridor to the living-room.

"Akari-chan" sang the blond haired kunoichi.

Deep onyx eyes meet her as the child raised her head from her fairy tales book and the ninja felt her heart miss a beat. 'God, her eyes are just like his. Good thing her spirit is more like her mother's, it would be difficult to hide.' thought the mind manipulator as she stared at the young girl sitting on a couch, her long pink hair in a low side ponytail over her left shoulder.

"Good morning, Auntie Ino, Takeshi-kun" greeted the child smiling. "Okaa-san already left, if you are looking for her."

"We came to take you to breakfast." explained Ino.

"Ahh, thank you! I had completely forgotten."

"I know; you are just like your mother. Shall we?"

* * *

So! Do you like them? What did you think? And the girls' thoughts? Please don't hesitate to leave comments! See you in two weeks for Sakura's thoughts!


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